The cheater compensation system can be exploited for rank ups. I'm the target.
I was wrongfully banned on 5/11/2026 due to an influx of cheating reports on my account.
Clip of outright abusing the system:
https://www.twitch.tv/fpsvex/clip/HedonisticSeductivePeppermintPipeHype-IBuwEQDnBZd04ybf
On 5/12/2026 I got a message from a friend on discord:
+89% from champ 2 to champ 1
Now here's the kicker. I'm not cheating.
If you weren't sure how Overwatch report system works, let me bring you up to speed. The amount of reports toward an account is what matters, not the action itself.
For example: Someone decides to cheat in an Overwatch match once and doesn't play the rest of the week. Say that account was reported only 3 times that match. That account wouldn't receive a ban because not enough reports went through to have the account flagged. Now if they kept playing that same day and kept cheating or not cheating, but received influx of reports for cheating even when not, the account would be flagged and automatically banned. (this is my understanding of how the report system works). You might say, "well they got banned because they cheated that one time." Remove the factor of this person cheating at all in the first place but LOOKED like a cheater, just really insane aim, always headshotting everyone, phenomenal tracking and was spam reported for cheating throughout the day, this account would still be flagged for cheating even when not and would receive a ban. Even remove that factor as well. Say this player is just really bad but known within a small community and disliked. These players can then find the account they want banned and send so many reports that it automatically flags the account reported even if the account holder has done nothing wrong. (Several have come forward claiming they have also been wrongfully banned due to the same thing)
Nowhere do these messages say "banned for third party software" or "banned for hacks"
AUTOMATED EMAIL FROM BLIZZARD ABOUT ACCOUNT CLOSURE
This is what getting banned for hacks or third party software would look like. (not my images)
WHAT BANNED FOR HACKS LOOKS LIKE(NOT MY IMAGE)
What does this mean exactly? This means players can exploit how the cheater compensation works with how the automatic banning system works. Even if the person that got banned isn't cheating at all, but reported under the category of "cheating" ultimately flagging the account and resulting in a ban. Players receive cheater compensation for a wrongful ban. Want to know what happens if that account is unbanned? The cheater compensation stays and that player keeps the amount gained. You can see how that can be exploited right..?
I only have these two screenshots of the system being abused. Now I'm not saying people intended TO exploit this for cheater compensation for free SR. I'm simply making this clear how there is a deep loophole here that must be spoken about. I'm the example of how this can be easily exploited.
I'm an easy target for this abused system due to the fact:
1. I stream the game with no delay.
2. The untrue rumor spread about me makes my account more at risk of being automatically banned. (I'm often spam reported by several players on a daily basis)
3. I play in high champion lobbies and constantly run into the same players making it much more likely to get the same people in games.
4. I don't use streamer mode. (even if I did use streamer mode, I am a Doomfist main that's incredibly good and there aren't a lot of doomfist players in NA that are so good they become memorable so they can guess easily.)
5. I get noticed from my gameplay. Not too many doomfist mains that spawncamp a roadhog, sombra, mccree, brig ,and mizuki successfully.
Why am I being reported for cheating you might ask?
More information on my situation below:
There has been this nasty rumor spread about me and people are using the report button system to have my account automatically flagged. I have done nothing wrong to break terms and conditions. No warning..? No temporary suspension? Straight to an automatic permanent ban..? Please this ban is wrong and I believe I am being harassed by a group of online people that don’t want me playing the game. I stream all of my games on twitch. I try to make content because I love this game. This happened to one of my other accounts before but I never got in contact with anybody.. Please help me, this ban is wrong. My accounts are being targeted from rumors that have no proof behind it. I am in need of serious assistance from blizzard with this issue. I stream with an account and they stream snipe me, getting people to spam report my accounts so the system automatically bans me. Can I please speak with someone about this issue I’ve been having? It’s been going on for months now and It’s slowly preventing me from being able to play the game I love playing and making content with.
Videos I made below kind of showcasing how this all began:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2ajhWAqk6c&t=879s <--- My reaction and confused understanding of how this all started
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBwJ5XNbTG4&t=485s
Here is the email I received alongside the accounts restrictions page:
Before this nonsense began, this account had zero penalties, not a warning, nothing. The previous bans are the other times I had to appeal for an unban due to this same wrongful reason.
This was the series of this account, banned → unbanned → banned → unbanned → banned again. Can I please stop being banned for nothing? Why am I getting banned if I’ve done nothing wrong you may ask? Because that’s how Overwatch set up their report system. Enough reports toward one account = automatic ban.
If I was banned for cheating or hacking, Blizzard would never revert the ban or even give me a chance to appeal.
Please watch these links of players instantly reporting my account due to rumors:
https://www.twitch.tv/nenwhy/clip/SuperConcernedNarwhalJonCarnage-wqqLT3iMg6kvTip5
https://www.twitch.tv/fpsvex/clip/PowerfulAbnegateCheddarOptimizePrime-RKecFnYOc_phn_Z6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgjs3Nh_6NA (These clips are older but my point is displaying my account being targeted by several people for months.)
These are just the examples I linked here, I have way more than just this.
The moment they find out its me (whichever account I’m on) they all spam report my account for ‘cheating’ due to some stupid rumor or the hatred for my personality or something I’m actually not sure why anymore.
I don’t know what I can do on my end anymore other than make people aware of what is happening to me to spread awareness about how players can abuse this system. I’m so desperate I even called Blizzard’s corporate office which got me nowhere as well. Blizzard’s support team is getting me absolutely nowhere and I don’t know what more I can do on my end. Some have suggested I just rebrand but why? I haven’t done anything wrong. Even if I did go the rebrand route, players can notice me strictly from my gameplay. I don’t use voice chat, I rarely type, I use different names, nothing. These streamers say, “Oh it’s Fear on an alt account” then proceed to report my account and not only that, they also tell their entire team to report me as well. I want to ignore all of this nonsense and move forward just playing the game but now the player base is making that impossible for me.
This is just the small scope of this problem. This can get out of hand very very quickly. Of course I want to talk about both my problem and this recent exploit I've discovered. This won't only help me, this will help all of Overwatch remain fairly competitive without disruptions such as these. In my opinion, the players abusing this system should be punished or at least warned.
PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE THIS MUST BE HANDLED QUICKLY.